End of ceasefire 'imminent' as more rockets fired from Gaza

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired two mortar shells into southern Israel today, as the week-long ceasefire deal between the sites teetered on the brink of collapse.

Israeli and Palestinian officials expressed doubt over the likelihood of the truce surviving a second week, citing the number of cracks that have already appeared in the fledgling accord.

The Egyptian-brokered deal calls for Hamas to stop cross-border rocket fire, and for Israel to gradually ease its embargo on the Gaza Strip which was imposed after the Islamists drove out President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah in a military coup last summer.

Palestinian officials accused Israel of violating its end of the bargain, as border crossings to the Gaza Strip remained closed for the third consecutive day.